What the Eyes Don’t See

What the Eyes Don’t See

by

Mona Hanna-Attisha

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What the Eyes Don’t See: Chapter 19 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
In the morning, Hurley and The Flint Journal both released stories announcing that Mona was giving a press conference that afternoon. When the governor’s office got wind of what was happening, they called Hurley and demanded to see Mona’s data. Mona was outraged—for weeks she’d been reaching out, time and time again, to state and local officials for help, and they’d ignored her every step of the way. Angry calls poured in from different offices, but Mona’s boss, Melany, told her not to worry.
No one in the government wanted to help Mona when she actually needed their attention and aid. But now that she was about to reveal their complicity and corruption in the horrific water crisis, they wanted to be a part of the narrative so that they could control it. They didn’t have a real interest in helping their community—they just didn’t want to get called out for their negligence.
Themes
Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon
Truth vs. Corruption Theme Icon
Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon
Mona arrived at the clinic early to meet with Ron Fonger, a journalist from The Flint Journal. Fonger had written lots of articles about the Flint water crisis over the course of the last year—he promised to support Mona by reporting on her press conference after she’d delivered it. Allison came by to deliver the baby bottle Mona had requested, and then Mona went to work sharpening up her presentation. When it was nearly time to leave, she filled Allison’s baby bottle with water from the bathroom sink. The water looked fine—but that was what Mona wanted. She wanted to make a point about “what the eyes don’t see.”
Even though Mona was angered and frustrated by the local government’s response, this passage shows that she still had the full strength of her allies and supporters behind her. Mona was going to have the chance to make a real impression not just on people in Flint, but on the entire country. By deciding to bring her press conference back to the concept of “what the eyes don’t see,” Mona illustrated her dedication to the holistic methods she’d used her whole career—methods rooted in anti-racism and social and environmental justice.
Themes
Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon
Truth vs. Corruption Theme Icon
Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon
A few floors down in the Hurley conference room, Mona queued up her presentation before a crowd of forty or fifty people. One of Mona’s team members informed her that Mark Valacak, the head of the county health department, was planning to attend. Mona was glad that an ally was on the way, especially when she spotted some doubters from the public works office in the audience. People kept pouring in until about a hundred reporters, photographers, hospital employees, activists, and members of Mona’s team filled the room.
The constant push and pull between ally and adversary and truth and corruption defined much of Mona’s journey to her landmark press conference. In the room where she was about to deliver her groundbreaking research, she found herself surrounded by all kinds of dualities. She was committing herself to standing on the right side of history, no matter the consequences.
Themes
Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon
Truth vs. Corruption Theme Icon
Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon
Mona made her way to the podium, and her tireless team joined her at the front of the room. For about 40 minutes, she delivered her presentation, in awe of the silence and focus in the room. Mona reused the story of “Makayla” for this presentation. She held up Allison’s baby’s bottle, as well. Even though the water in it looked clear, she explained, it was effectively poison. In showing her audience the bottle, Mona was hoping to underscore the human angle and open her audience’s eyes to the real costs of what was going on in Flint.
Mona had sensed that the mayor and other government officials had been genuinely moved by the human angle of her previous presentation—even though they didn’t take action to support her. By doubling down on this angle, Mona sought to remind people all over the country of the very real suffering that was beginning to take root in Flint’s most vulnerable populations.
Themes
Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon
Truth vs. Corruption Theme Icon
Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon
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When it was time to answer questions, the media went into a frenzy, lobbing rapid-fire questions at Mona and her team while also surrounding other major figures in the crowd, such as Valacak and Natasha Henderson. Mona scanned the crowd—the mayor was nowhere to be seen. As the press conference ended and Mona stepped away from the podium, she felt full of adrenaline and euphoria. Her team enthusiastically congratulated her on a job well done. But Mona knew deep down that this feeling might not last—she was certain that her press conference had awakened new enemies in Flint.
Mona’s exhilaration in this passage doesn’t obscure the reckoning she knew was coming. The water crisis in Flint happened due to a lethal combination of racism, corruption, and a failure of duty—and the government would go very far to obscure its role in the crisis.  
Themes
Racism and Environmental Injustice Theme Icon
Truth vs. Corruption Theme Icon
Community Values and Collective Duty Theme Icon